Hello!
This chapter took longer than I thought to write, but here is it! Big thanks to WildKat25 for the help with this chapter! I hope you like it!
I don't own Trolls, but Rose is my OC.
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Rose was frozen in place as the two trollings walked over to her, their eyes not leaving hers. "Well, what do we have here?" The boy said, looking Rose up and down as she sat on the blanket.
"Looks like the grey thing." The girl spat out the last two words. Rose stared at them as they hovered over her, unsure of what to do. "Why are you even out here in public? You're such an eye sour." She placed her hands on her hips as she spoke.
"Grey isn't even a colour. Why would you want to come out of that little hole in the ground and ruin everyone's day? Just like him." He narrowed his eyes as Rose, who narrowed her eyes back.
Rose frowned as she stood up. She took hold of her binder and quickly flipped to the page that had 'no' written on it. She held it up towards the boy, seeing him laugh.
"No? You're not just like him? You both ruin everyone's day by just being out." He ripped the page out of the binder, crumbling it into a ball and throwing it on the ground.
Rose's eyes widened as she quickly held the book closer to her. She turned the page to show the word stop.
"I don't feel like it." He smirked as he tried to grab the binder from her. Rose grabbed the strap of the binder and pulled back, letting out a small grunt. As Rose pulled back the strap attached to the binder snapped, causing Rose to fall back onto the ground with a loud thud.
As the boy pulled the binder back, the bell rang loudly. Both the bullies jumped at the sudden sound, taking a step back as the girl looked over at her brother. "We should go." She whispered loudly.
"Don't come back around our playground, we don't want to catch your greyness." The boy growled slightly as he turned around to leave, tossing her binder to the side.
As they started to walk away, Clampers stormed in front of them. She growled slightly as she stared at them. "Why did you take Roses stuff? You ripped out her paper. I didn't see her do anything to you." Clampers slowly circled them as she made her way between Rose and the bullies.
"We did nothing to her." The boy said, crossing his arms as he watched Clampers. "She shouldn't be here."
"What do you mean she shouldn't be here? She came to play with me." Clampers huffed as she stomped her hoof on the ground. "Who says she can't play here? I have four hoofs! Does that mean I can't play here?" She stood on her hind legs, making herself taller to the two bullies as she kicked her front legs.
Rose sat on the ground, staring at the children in front of her as tears came to her eyes. She snapped her head over when she realized Branch was getting closer to her. Branch quickly went to Rose's side, looking her over. "Rose, are you okay? Are you hurt?" He asked, gently moving her arms so he could check for any signs of injuries. He gently lifted her to her feet, seeing her dress was dirty from being on the floor. He gently picked her up and held her to his chest, picking up her binder. "Write down everything they said to you." Branch looked over when he realized someone was talking. Delta Dawn stood next to a stomping Clampers, between Branch and the two children
"What in hairs name do you two think you're doing?" She looked down at the trollings with her arms crossed.
"We are heading to the park." The boy said, crossing his arms as well.
Delta narrowed her eyes at the child. "Listen child. I do not take well to bullies and liars. Where are your parents? Are they here?" She demanded, seeing the girl step behind her brother.
"They aren't here." He replied, looking away from Delta.
"Where are they? What are their names? I would like a word with them." She stomped her hoof, causing the boy to lower his ears and look down. The boy stayed silent as Delta kept watching them.
"Rose?! Branch?!" Poppy's voice came a short distance away.
Branch's ears perked up when he heard Poppy's voice. "Poppy?" He called back, hearing leaves rustling from a nearby bush.
"Delta? Jay? Eva?" Poppy came through a bush, seeing Branch and Clampers with Delta. "What's happening here? I heard Roses bell." She explained, walking towards Delta as Barb came out from behind the bush as well.
"That bell was loud! I was over tuning my guitar when I heard it, and not long after I saw Poppy running over here." Barb stopped when she saw Branch looking down at Rose. "Yo man, what's wrong? Where's Rose?"
"I saw these two kids bullying Rose." Delta's voice came, answering Barb's questions.
Poppy and Barb stared at Delta, shocked from what they heard. "What? They were bullying Rose?" Poppy looked over at the two children whose ears lowered.
"We didn't do anything." Jay frowned as he ran behind Poppy, holding her leg as Eva held the other leg as she sniffled.
Poppy knelt down and rubbed their back. "What happened here you two?" She said as she gently pushed them in front of her so she could see them.
"She pushed my sister." Jay frowned, pointing to Rose in Branch's arms. Eva stood beside him, tears in her eyes as she remained still.
"That doesn't sound right." Barb muttered, looking over to see Rose frowning at Jay's answer as she clung to Branch.
"Rose pushed Eva?" Poppy raised an eyebrow as she questioned it. Jay nodded, crossing his arms again. Poppy looked over the crying girl, seeing no dirt on her. "I don't see any dirt on Eva. If Rose pushed her, she would have dirt on her pants."
Jay looked away slightly which didn't go unnoticed by Poppy. "I caught her. So no dirt."
"I see." Poppy said, seeing a page from Roses binder blowing in the wind behind Jay. "What's this?" She picked up the paper, seeing it was written by Rose. "Why is this ripped out of Roses binder?" She asked.
"Rose fell. I helped her up by grabbing the book. Page ripped." He said shortly, getting frustrated with all the questioning.
"Rose fell? Is she okay?" Poppy turned around quickly to look at Branch who nodded slightly to say Rose was okay. Poppy looked back at the two children, letting out a frustrated sigh. "Rose would not push anyone, she's much smaller than you two. With her broken arm she wouldn't have the strength to push Eva." She noticed Eva hiding behind her brother more, still crying from the angry look from Delta and Barb. "Jay. You can not lie to me. Why were you bullying Rose? I'm sure Rose did nothing to you."
"I saw the whole thing." Delta piped up, causing Poppy to look at her. "Rose was sitting on the blanket when these two youngins showed up and started talking to her. I couldn't hear what they did, but when Rose stood up and held the book up I could tell she was upset. I saw y'all rip that page out of her book, and grab the book right out of her hands. She tried to get it back but the strap broke, causing her to fall back and the bell rang." Delta explained. "Clampers took off runnin' when she saw Rose fell, and I wasn't far behind either. I did hear ya say this was your park."
"That sounds more like it." Branch whispered, holding Rose closer to him. "I knew I shouldn't have left her."
Barb looked over at Branch. "You can't stay with her twenty four seven. She's a strong kid, she will learn how to deal with this stuff."
"She shouldn't have to." Branch looked at Barb, frowning as he listened to Poppy talk to the kids.
Poppy looked from Delta to the two children. "I am very disappointed in you two! I expected better of you. Lying to me, and bullying. It's not the troll way!" She frowned,
Jay pouted as he took a step closer to Poppy. "But Queen Poppy. She's going to spread her greyness to everyone!" He said as Eva cried harder. "She's dangerous!"
Rose's ears dropped when she heard Jay's answer. She held onto Branch tighter, burying her face in his arm. Branch looked down at Rose, lifting her up to his shoulder so he could whisper to her. "You aren't dangerous twig." He gently rubbed her back as he felt her shake in his arms. Rose quickly jumped from his shoulder into his hair, feeling his hair wrap around her.
Poppy frowned at his statement. "Jay, that isn't true." She knelt back down and brought the two children closer to her, rubbing Evas back gently. "I've spent the past week with Rose, and I'm not grey. All that stuff about grey is not true. It can't be spread. Rose is a very kind and fun kid to be around. Who even told you that?"
Eva spoke before Jay could stop her. "Daddy, grandpa, and mama."
"Eva! Shh!" Jay whispered loudly.
"But it's Queen Poppy. We should tell her." Eva whimpered.
Poppy gently brought her into a hug. "It's the right thing to tell me. If your parents are telling you that stuff, I must have a word with them." She said, seeing Jay look away. "Because of what happened today I will set up a meeting with your parents, and grandfather as well. Tomorrow at noon, I want you both as well as your family to meet me in the royal pod." She looked at Jay who refused to look her in the eye. "Do you understand Jay? Tomorrow at noon. If you all don't come, I will come to you."
Jay groaned. "Fine. I'll tell them." He said as he looked at her.
Poppy gave him a smile, holding her arm towards him. "Good. Now come here." She brought them both into a hug as Eva calmed down, hugging her back along with Jay. "You aren't in trouble but what happened today must be discussed with your parents. You two should head home, okay? We will see you tomorrow. Be careful on your way, okay?" She stood up as they headed towards the park. Poppy turned to Delta and Clampers, giving them a smile. "Can you come to the meeting tomorrow?"
"You're darn tootin we will be there." Delta and Clampers both spoke, stomping a hoof on the ground as they crossed their arms.
"I'm coming too." Barb spoke, causing Poppy to look at her. "I'd like to meet their parents." She huffed.
Poppy looked over at Branch, who was still sitting on the blanket next to Barb. "Branch? Are you able to make it?"
Branch looked up at her, his ears still lowered from what happened. "Yeah, I'll be there." He said, glancing up at his hair.
Poppy stared down at him for a moment, before she walked over to sit next to him. She wrapped her arms around him tightly, resting her head on his shoulders. "Are you okay Branch?"
Branch hugged her back but didn't respond. "Do you two want to stay for some food?"
Poppy rubbed his back as she pulled back, nodding her head. "I'll stay." She gave him a smile.
"What kind of food do ya got?" Barb sat down with a thud, rubbing her hands together as she looked at the basket full of food.
Delta and Clampers sat next to Branch, Delta looking at Branch. "What did you bring?" Delta asked, giving him a smile.
"I brought a few different things." Branch replies as he started taking the food out and spreading it on the blanket. He took out a bottle and poured a small cup. "Hey Rose, I brought some watermelon juice. Do you want to come out?" He could feel her moving slightly but not coming out of his hair.
Time passed as they ate in silence. Branch tried to get Rose to come out of his hair to eat, but she refused. He felt a hand on his shoulder, looking over to see Poppy giving him a small smile. "I have to go and find Trollex, I ran off on him earlier. Are you okay if I go?" She asked, seeing him nod in response. "If you need me, I'll be over at the shops. I'll see you later babe." She kissed his cheek before standing up along with Barb who waved goodbye. "See you tomorrow Delta, Clampers." Poppy smiled at her before heading out of the park with Barb.
Delta stayed quiet for a moment, looking over at Branch who sat unmoved. She looked over at Clampers who looked back up at her, nodding to her. Clampers nodded back before standing up and walked in front of Branch. "Rose, come play!" She said, looking up at Branchs hair.
Branch looked down at Clampers before glancing up at his hair when he felt Rose move. Rose peeked out of his hair to look at Clampers. Clampers motioned for her to come out. Rose slowly climbed onto Branch's shoulder, feeling him wrap his hands around her to lift her into the ground. Rose held her binder tightly, looking around to make sure it was just the four of them.
Clampers stomped her front hoofs playfully. "Come on! Do you like running? I love running! Let's have a race!" Clampers said, ready to run.
"Go easy now Clampers." Delta warned her, getting a nod in response before Clampers jogged to a nearby stump with slightly nervous Rose following her.
Branch and Delta sat quietly as they watched Rose slowly warm up to Clampers. "Thank you Delta Dawn." Branch spoke, breaking the silence.
Delta looked over at him. "I've told you before just call me Delta, Sugar. And why are you thanking me?"
Branch rubbed the back of his neck, looking away slightly. "Well, for coming to Rose's rescue and standing up for her. I'll thank Clampers later too."
"Oh, you don't have to thank us for that. I'm just glad we got there when we did." She gave him a smile, but didn't get one in return. "What is bothering you Branch?" She asked.
Branch was silent for a moment, watching Rose and Clampers. "I can't always be watching her, but I have to. What if this happens again, and we're not here? Barb said she will have to get used to it, but it's not something I want her to get used to. I had to, and it was terrible." He spoke quickly, not looking at Delta. He placed a hand on his hair letting out a groan of frustration. "I don't know how to help her."
"It will most likely happen again." Delta started. "We are doing what we can to prevent it from happening again with Jay and Eva, but other kids may bully her too. We are doing whatever we can do so it doesn't happen, and that's all we can do. There will be bad days, but there will also be good days. Look at them." Delta said, looking back over at the two kids. Clampers was running circles around Rose to show her how fast she was. "She has a friend, and Clampers won't let anything happen to her if she's around. They are both very different, but that isn't going to stop them." She said as Clampers let Rose climb into her back. "Be careful Clampers! Don't go too fast!" Delta called out.
"I'm glad she has Clampers. I know how hard it will be for her if others keep bullying her." He said under his breath.
"Remember Branch, she has you. She has Poppy, Clampers, and me to watch out for her. There will be times she's alone physically, but she has trolls to go to if something does happen. She isn't alone. It's because of you that she isn't alone." Delta placed a hand on his shoulder, causing him to look at her. "You have already changed her life for the better in a lot of ways. You may not be able to protect her from a lot of stuff in life, but that's how they grow."
Branch gave her a smile, before looking back at Rose and Clampers. "I guess you're right."
"Of course I'm right." She hugged proudly, causing Branch to chuckle. "You are not alone either Branch, you know that right?" Her words caused Branch to look back at her. "You may not have a family by blood, but you have made yourself a family. Poppy, me, and your other friends as well. We are all here to help you when you need it."
Branch looked down, thinking about his friend and Poppy, the tips of his ears turning red. "I...never really thought of it that way." He looked up at Delta. "So much has changed the past six months since the world tour, I haven't had much time to really think about that kind of stuff."
"What else has changed?" Delta asked curiously.
"Well, I was like Poppys second in command even before the world tour. I wanted to help in whatever way I can, and you all have let me help in the meetings and around the village. I don't really want that to change. I like helping."
"You have always been a big help with the transition Branch. I don't think we would have gotten this far without your help of the surrounding areas to expand this place." She smiled as she looked around. "And you are Poppys second in command, no matter what happens. You have to put Rose first right now, and we understand that. Poppy can handle things, and we are here to help her too." Delta chuckled, looking at him. "I know if Poppy needs you help, she will ask you. Rose is close to that age where she will get more comfortable being out of your hair if she has a friend." She said as she looked over to see the girls laying on the ground as Clampers talked to a little green spider. "You're always welcome to come to the meetings as well, Rose would be fine in your hair or playing close by. Clampers does that all the time. I wouldn't be surprised if Poppy brings you to most of them from now on anyways."
Branch looked at her confused. "What do you mean?"
"You have helped us so much, you're practically a leader. We all see you like one." She grinned. "I wouldn't be surprised if Poppy is already teaching you how to be a king."
Branch's face turned pink. "K-king?!" He leaned a bit too far back, tumbling over slightly.
Delta laughed, looking down at him. "I don't know if it's the same in your culture, but In my culture if the royal is female they will propose and their mate will be king. So Poppy would be the one to propose to you, and you would be king. I don't know if that's how it works with you pop trolls though." She shrugged, a smile still on her face.
Branch stared at her, unsure how to process what he just heard. "Me? King? I don't...They wouldn't…" he looked down. "No one would want me to be king." He whispered.
"Really? From what Poppy told us, without you all of the pop trolls would have been eaten. I think that is some kingly material there, Sugar." She laughed. "But being grey made you who you are today. You see things differently, and it has helped us all so much. It helped you understand my country music more than any other two legged troll. I truly believe you are the only troll who can adapt to all of our music."
Branch let out a chuckle. "Yeah, I guess you're right. Something Poppy always says is 'happiness is inside of everyone, sometimes you just need someone to help you find it'." He said before he felt a sudden impact on his back. He looked behind him to see a slightly panting Rose holding his vest. "What are you doing back there? Do you want some juice?" He saw Rose nod and handed her the cup of juice. "There is some food here too if you are hungry."
Rose shook her head and held her cup out for more juice. After Branch filled her cup she carefully walked over to Clampers and held her cup towards her.
Clampers looked at it before taking it. "For me?" She asked, seeing Rose nod. "Jee, thanks!" She grinned before drinking it. Her ears perked up as she tasted it. "This is really good!" She placed the cup down next to Rose, who was now sitting in front of her. "Hey, do you wanna hear how I met Branch and bit his leg?" She asked excitedly, bouncing on her hoofs. Rose nodded, folding her legs as she waited for the story.
Clampers grinned as she started the story. "So. This started before we were all friends, Miss Poppy and Mr Branch were in jail for singing some crazy pop songs in the middle of town. We had to put them in jail, and Aunt Delta and I were in the building across from them to get a drink. All of the sudden we looked out to see the jails door was busted down and had rope tied to it and a stranger. Growly Pete fell asleep! That's when I knew Aunt Delta needed her secret weapon. Me! Deputy Clampers! The fastest in town! She busted out of the doors and let me lose. I go running after them!" Clampers said, running circles around Rose. "They head towards the forest being down and I'm right on their hoofs! I was biting through the cacti forest and was in their dust, Aunt Delta and the others were not far behind. All of the sudden I wasn't standing on the ground!" She stopped for a second as Rose gasped. "I fell down a hole in the ground! I couldn't see it because I was so close to catching them! Suddenly I was in a dark tunnel, but I could still hear them. I start running again just under the surface. I can hear Aunt Delta behind me as I pop up out of nowhere! I jumped up and landed right onto Branch and started biting him! I did whatever I could to get him to let go, but he wasn't budging! Suddenly I hear him say something but I couldn't make it out, and he picks me up. I didn't realize what happened and kept biting when I felt hair in my mouth. He used me to cut Growly Pete's hair that was attached to his leg." She sat down in a huff. "I gotta admit, it was a smart move on his part. We almost had 'em! I didn't think they would go off the cliff!"
Rose placed her hand over her mouth, laughing at the story. Clampers stopped for a moment and looked at her. "Jee Rose, I never heard you laugh before." She said, seeing Rose stop laughing and look away. "I liked it! You need to laugh more." Clampers grinned at her. "That's what friends do right, make each other laugh?"
Rose stared at her for a moment, blushing slightly as she nodded.
Clampers looked down slightly. "I'm sorry I wasn't fast enough to get to those bullies earlier." Rose looked up at her confused. "I like being fast and it's one of my favorite things, but I wasn't fast enough to stop them."
Rose frowned slightly as she took out her binder and started writing. After a minute she held her binder up to clampers reading the words 'super brave and super fast'.
Clampers looked at her. "Really? You think so?" She grinned when she saw Rose nod. "You're brave too Rose, brave and strong!" She saw Rose standing up and wrapped her arm around her. Clampers hugged her back. "You're one of those huggers, aren't ya?" She laughed when Rose sheepishly nodded. "I'll get used to it. Now, hope on! I want more of that juice!" She let Rose climb on her back and ran back to Branch and Delta.
